Hitting 1,000

Osborne reaches scoring milestone in Rams’ win

January 15, 2013

SHEPHERDSTOWN - Following a pair of losses to top-ranked West Liberty and West Virginia State last week, Shepherd junior guard Brantley Osborne made Monday night at the Butcher Center one that he won't forget.

Osborne scored his 1,000th career point on his first basket of the night, a 3-pointer, and led the Rams with a game-high 31 points in a 113-101 win over Wheeling Jesuit.

Osborne, who was 9 for 14 from 3-point range, tied a Shepherd record set by Chad Myers against the Hilltoppers in 2006 and set a new Butcher Center mark in the win.

Article Photos

Journal phots by Ron AgnirFriends and family hold up 1,000-point signs after Shepherd University guard Brantley Osborne scores his 1,000th career point Monday night in Shepherdstown. Below, Osborne connects on one of this record nine 3-pointers in the Rams’ win over Wheeling Jesuit.

"I missed a few in the first half, but the ball felt right off my hand, and I was getting good looks at the basket," Osborne said. "I felt confident and just kept firing."

"He's been zoned in the last few games," Rams coach Justin Namolik said. "He was hitting threes in multiple different ways."

As the first half began, both sides were matched up evenly as Osborne anticipated burying in point No. 1,000. He eventually buried a 3-pointer with 8:24 to play to earn the milestone and give the Rams a 32-30 lead. As the 3-pointer found its way to the net, Osborne's family and friends all unveiled shirts that signified the milestone.

"I was trying not to focus on getting that as much because we had lost to Wheeling Jesuit earlier in the season," Osborne said. "It is something special, and not many get to experience it. It was nice to have that happen."

Once the pressure of the milestone was off of Osborne's back, the Rams were able to run on all cylinders. Shepherd rallied back to tie the contest at 44 with 3:31 to play in the first half before taking the lead on a pair of free throws by Osborne, his only two shots from the line on the night, and stretching the lead to seven by the end of the half.

"I was nervous that we weren't going to be able to press them, and then we made adjustments and slowed them down," Namolik said. "We were able to push at them to be able to take the lead. We got a lot of offensive rebounds and shots in the paint as well."

The inside game by Chad Moore, who scored 29 points and had eight rebounds, and Morgan McDonald, who finished the game with a double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds) led the way for the Rams, especially in the opening half, while Osborne was shooting 2 for 6 from the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

"When we were bringing our pressure, we wanted to get into a 3-on-2 situation," Marcus Pilgrim said. "We wanted to get Morgan and Chad both free to get some easy buckets."

"Chad and Morgan work really well together," Namolik said. "They have great chemistry, are able to finish around the hoop and they did a great job for us tonight."

Following the halftime break, Osborne found his golden shooter's touch, burying seven out of eight 3-point shots, including six in a row. He set a school record for most 3-pointers in a game, passing teammate Sidney McCray with nine 3-pointers total.

Wheeling Jesuit compressed the Ram lead to as little as three points, but Shepherd stretched it back out to as large as 25.

By game's end, the Rams led was cut down to as little as 11 before Austin Cunningham made four free throws to score 11 points. McCray added 10 points to round out Shepherd's double-digit scoring players.

The Cardinals had six players score in double figures. Justin Fritts led Wheeling Jesuit with 20 points. Andre Harris added 16 points, and Joe Prati and Ben Siefert each added 15 points for the Cardinals.